I've gone to Tiner's Alley 4 times now and I think it's one of the worst "good" restaurants in Boise.
The first time I went we ordered fish and chips and the waitress asked how it was, we hesitated in answering, and she immediately comped both...
Read MoreI've gone to Tiner's Alley 4 times now and I think it's one of the worst "good" restaurants in Boise.
The first time I went we ordered fish and chips and the waitress asked how it was, we hesitated in answering, and she immediately comped both of our meals and told us they were taking it off the menu for the rest of the day until they could figure out how to get the cook right on it. It was soggy, gray, and honestly horrible. They had just opened so we gave them the benefit of the doubt, waited six months, and tried again.
On our second visit, 6 months later, it was fantastic. I ordered the fried chicken caesar salad sandwich and it was amazing. A huge piece of chicken, steamed brioche bun, loaded with salad, dressing, some pickled accoutrement.
Figuring they had everything dialed in, we went a third time. It was ok - I ordered the same sandwich but it came with a massive flatbread style bun -- not the brioche that was listed on the menu. When I asked about it, they just said that they were out of the broche so they subbed it. It would have been nice to know in advance, but at that point I was stuck with the meal. The salad, chicken, etc was all great. The hand cut fries are very good, too.
Last night we had our fourth meal at Tiner's. I asked if they had the brioche before ordering the sandwich this time, and they did. When the sandwich came out, the width of the chicken was less than the width of the bun, and the length was barely larger. The waitress thought it was a burger when she brought it over because you couldn't actually see any of the salad or chicken. The chicken was pale, not crispy, and had literally three small cut-up pieces of lettuce as the "salad" stuck to the bottom of the bun. That's it. The fries were not crispy either, and unsalted.
We overheard one of the workers at the bar talking about how Chef Cal was in the kitchen tonight and how he just got a James Beard nomination. I don't know how he's not completely embarrassed by the food that's coming out of his kitchen. If this were any other major city, this restaurant would be empty and laughed at. But we're starved for quality restaurants in Boise so this place seems to be getting a pass.
My wife also ordered the fish and chips last night, and the fish was noticeably smaller than it usually is, got the same soft unsalted fries, and it tasted like someone forgot to season the fish too. All around disappointing. For a $24 piece of unseasoned cod, it's a joke. I've had better chicken sandwiches from Wendy's than what Cal served up last night.
Chatting with our friends, a lot of them have expressed the same disappointment with the restaurant. It was part of our "where should we go tonight" chats quite a bit and it's now the first to get nixed from future plans. The fact that it was half empty on a Friday night tells me others are feeling the same thing. The location is great, the interior is cool, but it almost feels insulting paying about $40 before drinks for fish and chips and a un-crispy caesar salad-less sandwich. We'll stop in for a beer if we want a pub vibe but I think we're done with the food.
Anyone else feeling the same way? I'm genuinely disappointed to write this - I was so excited to see he was opening a new spot in town. He's undoubtedly a great chef but can't seem to run a kitchen to save his life.
Food: 2
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
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